Patna, Oct. 24 -- The Opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar on Thursday named Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav as its chief ministerial candidate and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani as its deputy chief ministerial face for the assembly polls next month, attempting to project a united face after weeks of squabbling over seats. Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, who met Yadav, RJD founder Lalu Prasad and former CM Rabri Devi on Wednesday, made the announcement at a joint presser in Patna attended by the top leaders of all the seven constituents of the alliance. "All allies in the INDIA bloc including our leader Rahul Gandhi have decided that Tejashwi will be our CM face and we will fight the election unitedly. The decision has been taken after consultation with all allies and our president Mallikarjun Kharge,'' Gehlot said. The alliance, which is hoping to dislodge chief minister Nitish Kumar from power after four consecutive terms, has been riven by public infighting over choice of candidates and seats, and is still facing "friendly fights" in at least nine seats. But the announcement allowed Yadav to throw the ball into the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) court and ask whether Kumar will continue as CM if the ruling coalition won. "I would like to highlight the injustice that is being done to Kumar. The NDA has held no such press conference to declare its CM candidate. We have been saying for a long time that the BJP will not let Kumar become the CM again. The fact is, Kumar is not enjoying good health and the JD(U) is in the clutches of three-four leaders who are working for the BJP and are out to finish off the party after the elections," Yadav said. Gehlot, considered one of the top troubleshooters of the Congress, also declared that VIP chief Mukesh Sahani will the deputy CM face, fulfilling one of the key demands of the mercurial leader who has never won an election but claims sizeable support of the boatmen and fishermen communities. Sahani hails from the extremely backward classes (EBC), a large amalgam of lower castes that forms 36% of the state's population and is a mainstay of Kumar's support base. "There would also be few more deputy CMs from other communities keeping in mind the social structure of Bihar, when we come to power," said Gehlot. HT has previously reported that the alliance plans to appoint three deputy CMs - one Muslim, one Dalit and one from the EBC community - if it comes to power. The RJD is contesting on 143 seats, the Congress on 61, VIP on 15, the three Left parties on 33 and Indian Inclusive Party on one seat. This means that for 243 seats, the number of candidates for the alliance is 253, underlining the public tussle for seats and candidates that has weakened the alliance's campaigning over the last two weeks. But on Thursday, the last day for withdrawal of nominations for the crucial second phase when 122 seats go to the polls on November 11, there appeared signs of a thaw. The Congress and the VIP each withdrew one candidate, leaving only nine seats where more than one candidate remained from the alliance. Gehlot hit out at the NDA, accusing the government of pursuing a divisive agenda and suppressing voices of dissent by putting opposition leaders and activists behind the bars . He also dared the BJP and NDA to declare their CM face in Bihar. "In Maharashtra assembly polls, they fought the election on the face of then CM Eknath Shinde but after the results, Devendra Fadnavis became the CM. In Bihar, we have our leader now. I want to ask who will be the NDA's CM face in Bihar," Gehlot said. Yadav thanked the allies for reposing faith in him. "It was not a big issue for us, but since there was so much media speculation, we decided to make it clear." Sahani, a former Bollywood set designer who entered politics in 2014 when he campaigned for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls, said the alliance is determined to oust the BJP from power. "I have waited for this moment for the last three and a- half years. The BJP had betrayed me by breaking my party after influencing my legislators. The INDIA bloc would form government this time," Sahani said, trying to refer to how three MLAs of the party had joined the BJP in March 2022. The VIP had won four seats as an ally of NDA in 2020 but one of its MLAs died in November 2021, while three MLAs joined the BJP. Sahani, a former MLC and minister, realigned with the RJD-led combine before the 2024 parliamentary polls. Yadav, 35, reiterated the INDIA bloc's promises such as free power up to 200 units, government jobs to all households not having government employment, permanent jobs for 14 million CHECK Jeevika Didis , higher pension and better infrastructure including SEZs, IT hubs and an educational city. " I would like to tell the people of Bihar that Tejashwi will never compromise on corruption and will spare nobody accused of a crime, be it his own shadow or anyone with influence," said Yadav, who was deputy CM between 2015 and 2017, and again between 2022 and 2024. The RJD leader also alleged that the allegation of jungle raj was "propaganda" by the BJP. "Na day passes that murders and rapes do not take place. Victims of sexual assault die for want of timely medical help," he said. But the presser - where Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's absence was conspicuous - did not announce the seat sharing deal even as CPI(ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya tried to play down reports of internal squabbling in the coalition and multiple nominations filed by partners from many seats. "I am a student of statistics..I know if there is some ' contest' in one to two percent of seats but there is unity in 95 % of seats,it means there is total unity in the coalition.Even today some withdrawals have happened.The matter would be resolved," said Bhattacharya. The NDA insisted that cracks within the INDIA bloc were there for all to see. The BJP shared on its X handle a photograph of the poster put up at the press conference, with a huge image of Yadav, highlighting the fact "there are not even thumbnails of other INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi". JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar called Yadav "an angry child who has been handed over a lollipop" and recounted "massive defeats of 2019 and 2024" when the RJD leader was spearheading the INDIA bloc's campaign in the Lok Sabha polls...